Clay Chickens and Earthen Dogs

"A person's fate has its ups and downs; it really is hard to predict." Sitting at the prow of the ship, Ji Jue couldn't help but sigh. What personal struggle, what... other chaotic nonsense. For things to turn out like this was already well beyond his initial plans. At the beginning, Ji Jue had merely followed the scent of calamity beasts, hoping to hit up his peers in the Profound for a little more sponsorship... But later, once Minkler told the truth, he realized his scope had been too small, his thinking too narrow. Why limit sponsorships to peers in the craft? If the blighting wind blew and he couldn't find anyone from the Profound, was he supposed to just give up on sponsorships? The Seven Cities could sponsor him too! And if the Seven Cities were unwilling to sponsor him, he could always make them willing. At worst, with Minkler's claim in hand, taking down the Chopra family would be child's play! Besides... just look at those beasts in the Sukarno family, the vermin across the Seven Cities, and the useless trash in the Chopra family. No matter how perversely he acted, no matter how much he expanded enrollment and headcount at Blessing Park, surely he couldn't be worse than these scum? As for whether it would succeed, Ji Jue hadn't thought about it. The Federation's waters were too deep for him to stir up, and the Mid-Continent's mud pit was too messy for him to blow up, but in mere Seven Cities, did he still have to hold back for fear of breaking the vase while hitting the rat? If you're going to try, then try—even if trying means dying. A horse doesn't get fat without night grazing. Ji Jue wanted too much, the trouble on his shoulders was too great, and he held too little in his hands. If he truly wanted to master his own destiny, he had to take a gamble! The waters of the Seven Cities were already this muddy; what was wrong with dipping a hand in? After all, no matter how much others gave, nothing beat having it in your own pocket. Craftsmen needed sponsorships, but the more sponsorships you took, the more tightly you were tied to others, and the more constraints you faced. Ji Jue already had enough chains wrapped around him; he really didn't want two more. The horrifying deficit of the Lord of the Flies project, the funds needed for developing his own workshop, the setup of new parks and production lines, along with future long-term plans... He needed an adequate source of revenue, a market belonging solely to him, and a fulcrum sufficient to support Haian Industries' expansion across the entire Thousand Islands. Now, watching the silhouette of Xiangzhou draw closer and closer, Ji Jue stood at the prow, watching quietly. Suddenly, he felt as though everything in the distance was within arm's reach. As long as he reached out his hand... He raised his palm, spread his five fingers, and slowly curled them closed, clasping everything in the distance into his grasp. Lou Feng stepped out of the cabin, looking at Ji Jue's back and the city in the distance with an emotional sigh. "This day has come a bit earlier than Grandpa thought." "Hm?" Ji Jue looked back in confusion. "There was Warden Lyu's proposal earlier, and the various families in Haizhou discussed it as well," Lou Feng said with feeling. "Supporting Xinquan benefits everyone, so investing resources is only natural. If, in the future, you can become a Celestial-Human, each family would shift their own positions outward and clear a spot for you... "Originally, everyone thought you probably just wanted to gain a foothold in Xinquan. No one expected your ambition to be so huge, so wild, and your knack for stirring up trouble so great that you've already reached your hands into the Seven Cities..." "How could I just keep taking advantage without knowing when to stop, right?" Ji Jue chuckled. "When I get the chance later, I'll properly thank the elders for their regard. If I achieve anything, I won't hoard it for myself." Lou Feng glanced at him, his tone complex. "It's your own capability." "No, what I mean is, I was born in Shudi, but raised in Haizhou. Haizhou made room for me, and I'm not a selfish man. If I take the Seven Cities, could I swallow and digest it all by myself?" Ji Jue laughed. "To get things done, you ultimately have to rely on your own people. Even if the weight of all Seven Cities combined can't match a single Central City in the Federation, no one would complain about having a few more dishes in their bowl, would they?" "Then why did you..." Lou Feng paused, his brow furrowing slightly. Aside from Lou Feng from the joint workshop, Ji Jue hadn't contacted anyone else from the very beginning; there had been no communication at all. Yet a moment later, understanding dawned upon him. "See? That's the difference between scions of clan families and stray dogs." Ji Jue tapped on the railing. "To you, the family always comes first. The family birthed and raised you, so if the family prospers, your own life will naturally be good. "But to me, helping others out and doing odd jobs doesn't matter, but if I want to accomplish something big, the first priority can only be myself—I'm hosting the banquet and inviting the guests, not waiting to be given a seat at someone else's table. It doesn't matter how many guests come, nor how much they eat, but my bowl cannot be handed to me by someone else." If I host the table, I must be in charge! How much the guests can eat is their own skill, but the table is mine—you don't get to touch it! If he truly relied on the families of Haizhou, once the Seven Cities were conquered, would they belong to Haizhou or to Ji Jue? And if he couldn't break open the situation first, why would the families invest their resources in the first place? Face is something given mutually; if others give it to you, you have to repay it. If he relied on Haizhou to catch the white wolf empty-handed, once the wolf was caught, he'd probably only get a leg. He didn't want to wait for others to carve the meat; he wanted to be the one holding the knife. "..." Lou Feng let out a quiet sigh. "Why didn't I just get rid of you the very first moment we met? A bastard like you will definitely become a terrifying menace in the future." "Too late, Old Lou." Amused, Ji Jue waved his hand. "Regrets won't help you now. You'd better think about how you're going to survive on this pirate ship." The sea breeze blew across his face, and Lou Feng let out a long sigh. Exhausting. But wasn't everyone like this? Just make do and stick it out. We're practically having a baby soon, and he used to treat me well... Who the fuck is actually living the goddamn good life, anyway! *** On the other side, Minkler was dumbfounded. Looking down at what Ji Jue held in his hands, he hesitated, words failing him. "Uh... I understand the logic, but do we really have to... do this?" "Come, today I'll teach you a legendary skill passed down through the martial world for ages, the ultimate secret of busking a living from scratch when down and out in foreign lands. Once you master this trick, even if you fail to become family head in the future, you won't starve to death." Ji Jue smiled and held up two spiritus swords. "Come on, Commander Minkler, open wide." Today, I'm teaching you how to swallow big swords! *** *The Chopra Family Waste Lands at Xinquan* *The Death-Seeking Cannon Fodder Advances on the Seven Cities* *The Vile Traitor Usurps the Joint Defense Forces* *Commander Minkler Smashes the Venom Fleet*... Next chapter: *The Noble Candidate for Family Head Arrives in His Far-From-Loyal Xiangzhou.* Just kidding, it wouldn't take that long. Without even waiting for the next chapter, before noon had arrived, the Seven Cities Joint Defense ship swaggered into the docks of Xiangzhou. Flanked by an escort of elite guards, the commander of the Seven Cities Joint Defense Fleet, Major General Minkler, returned home in glory! Driving straight in without hindrance, barreling through traffic, they floored the accelerator all the way into Xiangzhou's bustling downtown, arriving before a verdant hill nestled among countless skyscrapers. Right at the front gates of the Chopra family estate. The newly appointed head butler was struck dumb upon receiving the report. What did they mean, Minkler was already at the front gates?! Turning around, he caught sight of the figures striding into the courtyard and instinctively glared with anger. *You bastard child, you dare show your face here again!* "Hm?" Minkler glanced in his direction with a faint, mocking smile. Instantly, the stiff butler habitually bent at the waist, no longer daring to put on his usual airs. "Aiya, Young Master has returned?" He plastered on a fawning smile. "Please come in, please come in! Serve tea, serve the finest tea!" "No need." Minkler waved a dismissive hand. "Military business presses. I'm merely passing by home to take a look, and then I'll be off." The butler opened his mouth to say something more. Seeing Minkler continue forward, he had barely started to move his feet when Minkler lashed out with a vicious slap across his face. Ruthless and merciless, it shattered a mouthful of his teeth. As the world spun around him, the butler collapsed to the ground. Before he could even process what had happened, he heard a voice receding into the distance: "If you're going to be a dog, act like one. Don't block the path." *** The further inside they went, the more bustling it became. Lanterns and banners hung everywhere in a festive atmosphere of celebration. Every face bore a gentle smile, making the intruding group seem like uninvited, sinister guests by comparison. Numerous gazes turned toward them. "So many guests?" Ji Jue remarked. "How lively. Is your old man's funeral feast finally underway?" "Yeah, pretty much. All relatives." Minkler gave a derisive sneer, sweeping his eyes over the crowds in the lounges and courtyards. "The old bastard didn't have much of anything else, but he sure had plenty of daughters, sons, in-laws, friends everywhere, and helping hands at every turn." In short, plenty of brothers! If you value loyalty, you have brothers; if you don't value loyalty, you have even more brothers. When the old bastard was still breathing, you could say he had brothers across the four seas—in-laws of his sons and daughters, business partners, brothers and friends beyond count! Everyone knew the logic of not putting all your eggs in one basket, but how many could actually pull it off? What the old dog loved most was multi-faceted investment, wheeling and dealing with slick maneuvers, and he had pulled his fair share of double-crosses. As the saying went, performing a ritual in a snail shell and finding shelter among tigers and wolves—to be able to draw in so much aid with only the Chopra family's stature without losing the lead seat was an impressive feat in itself. A pity that when a man leaves, his tea goes cold. After his death, the situation took a sharp dive. The various helping hands and backers hit it off with his sons and daughters and immediately started tearing each other apart. "Look, that bunch is the fourth's maternal relatives, that group belongs to the sixth, the eleventh..." He pointed enthusiastically at the crowd. There were gaunt, withered eccentrics who had aged prematurely; smiling, genial uncles and aunts; savages draped in bizarre trinkets as if freshly escaped from some deserted island; burly, muscular brutes and hulking matrons; along with elderly men and urchins devoid of any presence... Wulou Temple, Tianxin Society, Blood Eye... Ji Jue took one look and couldn't help but chuckle. Tsk, tsk, tsk—there really were fucking familiar faces! "Your family's makeup really is crossbred beyond belief!" He casually waved his hand, cutting Minkler off. "Alright, no need to introduce them. One way or another, they're all just clay chickens and earthen dogs, not worth mentioning." The moment the words fell, the courtyard fell dead silent. The smiles and gentleness vanished from every face. All of them turned in unison toward Ji Jue, their gazes turning icy cold. Ji Jue looked back at them just as placidly. Expressionless. He paid no mind to the chilling malice that rolled over him. "What? I called you clay chickens and earthen dogs," Ji Jue asked calmly. "You got a problem with that?"